Individual presser roll unit



y 1958 L. E. LA BOMBARD INDIVIDUAL PRESSER ROLL UNIT Filed March 21, 1956 I 66 INVENTOR. LEONE. BY

PM ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofilice 2,841,270 Patented July 1, 1958 INDIVIDUAL PRESSER ROLL UNIT Leon E. La Bomhard, Nashua, N. H., assignor to' The International Paper Box Machine Company, Nashua, N. H., a corporation of New Hampshire Application March 21, 1956, Serial No. 572,933

6 Claims. (Cl. 198-165) This invention relates to an improved presser roll unit for use on the presser belts or carrier belts of paper box folding machinery.

In the box folding art it is customary to advance a plurality of flat box blanks individually and successively along a path through a folding machine, often in untimed, non registered relation and to perform various folding steps along the path. Usually the box blanks are advanced by upper and lower carrier belts and where control and pressure is desirable cage rolls, in engagement with the underface of the belts, are provided. Such cage rolls convert the carrier belts into presser belts and, of course, cage rolls may be used without a belt if pressure is desired along the path of the blanks.

.T he usual custom in the art has been to mount two or more rolls in a multiple cage whereby the vertical movement of one roll is duplicated by the other rolls in the cage structure. It has also been proposed to provide individual cage roll structures whereby each roll moves independently and this invention is directed to an improvement over such individual cage roll devices.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simplified individual presser roll unit having a single U-shaped bar slideably supporting a roll on each side thereof whereby the usual side plates of a cage are eliminated and the presser roll unit takes up no more space than the space occupied by the rolls.

Another object of the invention is to provide a presser roll structure in which the rolls are on the outside and the roll support on the inside and in which an outside flange on the rolls serves as a rotating edge guide for a belt, thereby reducing frictional wear on the belt.

Still another object of the invention is to provide accurate means for adjusting the pressure of the presser roll on the belt wherein the coil spring which urges the rolls toward the belt is compressible independently from each opposite end thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide presser means for a moving belt formed by a pair of spaced apart, co-axial rolls supported centrally of their common axis and requiring no cage type support at the terminus of said axis outside the rolls.

Other objects and advantages of the presser roll unit of the invention will be apparent from the claims, the description of the drawing and from the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a plurality of aligned pressure roll units constructed in accordance with the invention and mounted between a carrier belt and'a fixed support of a typical paper box folding machine.

Fig. 2 is an end view in section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 of one of the presser roll units.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the presser roll units showing the position of the rolls when no sheet is passing the zone of the unit.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the position of the rolls when a sheet is passing the zone of the unit and Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the presser roll unit on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

In the drawing, 20 designates a carrier belt or a presser belt of a typical paper box folding machine, the belt 20 advancing in a path parallel to and spaced from a fixed support 21. In the embodiment shown, the belt 20 is the lower of a pair of sheet or blank advancing belts, the upper belt being designated 22. Upper belt 22 is trained under 'a plurality of aligned sets of rolls such as 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28. Each set of rolls such as 26 includes a pair of cylindrical rolls 30 and 31, freely rotatable on a common axis 32 in the fixed support 33 of the machine.

In the embodiment illustrated, the upper rolls such as 26 are unyielding but it will be obvious that the yieldable presser roll units to be hereinafter described could be used in place thereof if desired. The presser roll units 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38 of the invention occupy the space between the lower belt 2% and the lower fixed support 21 and apply predetermined pressure on the belt 20 thereby controlling the pressure of engagement of the belts 23 and 22 on a box blank being advanced therebetween.

Unlike the exterior cage type structures heretofore used, each presser roll unit of the invention, such as 36, is without exterior framework and is provided with an interior framework located between a pair of identical, coaxial rolls. An elongated U-shaped bar 40, preferably of metal is provided, the bar having an open end 41, a pair of parallel legs 42 and 43 and a closed end 44. Preferably each leg 42 or 43 is of uniform rectangular or square cross section and preferably bar 40 is formed of metal by investment molding and the faces thereof are flat and smooth. The closed end 44 of the U-shaped bar 40, is of flattened rectangular cross section with the lower inside face 46 thereof parallel to the belt 2 5 and belt 22 and with a cross sectional area less than the area of cross section of the substantially square legs 42 and 43.

A block 47, preferably of I-shaped cross section is slideable axially between the legs 42 and 43 of bar 46 by means of the oppositely disposed, outward facing channels 48 and 49. The upper face 50 of block 47 is parallel to face 46 of bar 40 and is seated flatwise thereon when the block is at its maximum outer position in the bar 40. The lower face 51 of block 47 is provided with a cylindrical recess 52 for accommodating the adjacent end of a coil spring 54. t

The terminal ends 55 and 56 of each U-shaped bar 46 aligned and closely spaced along support 21 are slideably mounted in sockets such as 57 and 58 in the support 21, the sockets conforming to the polygonal cross section of the legs. Set screws such as 60 are provided in threaded holes such as 61 in the support 21 for fixing the legs 42 and 43 of bar 40 in the sockets 57 and 58. Preferably conical recesses such as 62 are provided in the legs of bar 40 which cooperate with the conical tips 63 of the set screws 60 to seat the bars 4% in predetermined positions relative to the fixed support. However, it will be apparent that a plurality of such conical recesses 62 may be provided in each leg or they may be eliminated entirely to permit the height of the U-shaped bars 4-9 to be varied in accordance with the spacing between belts such as 20 and supports such as 21 in different machines or in the same machine. A hole 65 is provided through support 21, between each pair of polygonal sockets 57 and 58, for receiving coil spring 54 and a set screw 66 is threaded in the lower end thereof. The set screw 66 converts hole 65 into a socket for receiving the adjacent end of coil spring 54. By turning set screw 66 the compression of spring 54 against block 47 may be varied as desired without altering the position of the bar 4 relative to the support 21 or belt 20. If desired, the coil spring compression may be varied from its upper end by adjustmerit of the set screws 60 or from its lower end by adjustment of set screws 66or from both ends'.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3 each block 47 carries a pair of cylindrical presser rolls 68 and of i-the ball bearing type and each rotatable on an opposit'ei side-of t the block 47 and bar 40 in parallel planes p arallel t6" the. plane of bar 40. Each roll68'and '69is'freely rotatable on 'a common axis of rotation 70 formed by'the sleeves 71 and 72 detachably connected by machine screw 73 and passing through a transverse aperture' 74 in the block 47. The overall depthof the pair of presser rolls' 68 and 69 and the block 47 is substantially equal to the depth'of a belt such as and the 10115 68 and 69 thus resiliently press on longitudinally extending strips on opposite sides of belt 20 but'not on the central longi tudinal strip thereof. a w

The flattened end 44 of thebar 40, With'it-s reduced cross sectional area, permits the overall width of the bar 40'to be equal to the diameter of the rolls but permits a portion of the circumferential faces of the rolls to extend beyond the closed end 44 totengage a belt 20. A sufficient range of yieldability of rolls 68 and'69 with out danger of belt 20 touching the end 44 of bar 40 is thus provided as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. V V

Preferably at least one presser roll such as 68 or 69 of each unit such as 36 is'provided with a radially eX- tending outside flange such as 76which .serves as arotatable side edge guide for the belt 20. While all of the l presser rolls could be provided'with flanges 76, it is pre ferred to provide the same on every other resser unit 4 support paralleling said sheet path at a spaced distance from said'belt; said" support having a plurality of spaced; aligned, identical groups of sockets therea'long, each said group including a spring socket between two leg sock ets and a plurality of individual identical presser roll units for resiliently urging said carrier belt away from said support, each said presser'unit'cornprising a U-shaped bar having straight legs slideably mounted in the leg sockets of 'one'ofsaid groups,'a block slide'ably mounted between said legs and having a' spring recess, a coil spring having'one end retained in the springsocket of said group, and the other end tretained' in the spring j recess of said block for urging the block away fromtsaid support; a 7

pair of identical cylindrical rolls each co'axially mounted on an opposite side of saidtblock and 'each having a portion of the circumferential face thereof in resilient and rotatable engagement with one of the opposite side edge portions of the adjacent face of said carrier belt and threaded means for'fixing the legs of said U shaped bar in the 'leg sockets of said support. 7 z V 3. A combination as specified in claim [wherein-said" U-s'haped bar is ofrectangu1ar cross section, said leg sockets are of rectangular cross section and said block is of I shapedvcros s section with *apair of opposed chan-" nels each embracing and slideable on, one of the opposite legs of said of said unit. v a

4. A combination'as' specified in claim 2 wherein 'th'ef "spring sockets in said support are formed by threaded" such as 34, 36 and 38 and to position them onalt'er nate sides of the belt 20;

I claim: V

1. In a paper box folding machine having a box blank engaging belt and a fixed support parallel to, and spaced of cylindrical rolls revolubly mounted on a block po- 'sitioned between said rolls and block suppo'rting means for resiliently maintaining said rolls in engagement with said 'belt, said roll and block'having an overall lateral dimension substantially equal to the lateral dimension of' said belt and certain of said rolls having an enlarged ou tside flange for engaging one of the opposite side edges of said belt.

2. In a sheet folding machine the combination ofv a carrier belt for engaging and conveying a sheet along a predetermined path in said machine; an elongated rigid .357 from, said belt, a plurality of individual presser'roll unit's aligned along said fixed support for resiliently engaging the underface of said belt, each said unit including a pair" holes,' each having'a threaded set screw therein for adjustment of the compression of said coil spring. d 5. A combination as specified 'in' claim 2 plus-an out yside flange, extending radiallytbeyond' the circumferential face of "said rolls on alternate sides of, each suc'c'es' sive unit for guiding theopposite side edges" of 'said ear rierb'elt. 7 p e '2 6. A combination as specified 'in'claim 2 wherein-said-f threaded means com-prise set screws in said supporgeacli having 'a conical terminal tip 'and said legs each include the plurality of spaced conical recesses,- each-adapted to receive the conical tip of one of said set screws.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 ,224,046" Turley Apr. 24; 19177, 1,301,006 Prior Apr-.15, 191,7

Fergnani Mar. 3, 1953 bar for preventing tilting of thermis- 

